This article was originally published on Shareable

The legal problems of the sharing economy just got real. The latest lawsuits against "ride-sharing" companies Lyft and Über could be game changers. The plaintiffs are drivers who give rides to strangers for money, paying a portion of their earnings to the companies. The class action lawsuits argue that the drivers should be classified as employees of the companies. Regardless of the outcome, the lawsuits call attention to the potential harms arising from the non-sharing parts of the sharing economy. It’s a good opportunity to declare that the so-called “sharing economy” needs a new business model.

You can’t truly remedy today’s economic problems by using the same business structures that created the economic problems. Because of their current ownership structure, Airbnb, Lyft, Über, and TaskRabbit could be bought out by ever larger and more centralized companies that won’t necessarily care about the well-being of people using the services, or about the overall abundance of jobs in our economy...

There is only one way to ensure that a company will make decisions in the interests of the people it serves: Put those people in control of the company.

Disclaimer: The contents of these manuals should not be relied on as legal advice. Also, some of this information could become outdated, and laws vary from place-to-place. Furthermore, although we tried to collect accurate information and give laws our best interpretation, some information in these booklets could even turn out to be incorrect or subject to other interpretations by courts or regulators! We sure hope that's not the case, but what can we say? Law is complicated stuff! That's why we strongly recommend that you consult an attorney before using this information to form or operate a cooperative!  

The Worker Cooperative Policy Coalition held two public feedback forums to solicit feedback on the proposed provisions of the worker cooperative policy that will be (hopefully) going to the California legislature in February 2014. Below are the notes of the feedback forums, one held on December 2nd at the Sudo Room in Oakland and the other held on December 7th in San Francisco at the Main Public Library.

The Sustainable Economies Law Center is proud to be a member of the California Worker Cooperative Policy Coalition and excited about paving new paths to increase democratic worker ownership in California.

UPDATE: Our coalition was successful in finding a legislative author and this policy recommendation has become a full out legislative campaign! Find out more by visiting SELC's Cooperatives Advocacy page.

Below, you will find links to a feedback form so you can provide input on how to define a worker cooperative in California, more information on the statute that the coalition has been working on, and updates on our progress.

CA Worker Coop Updates

Find updates on the progress of our legislation and public feedback. 

CA Worker Cooperative Feedback Public Forum

Two public feedback forums were held, one in San Francisco and one in Oakland, for community members to provide feedback, identify issues of concern, and continue the discussion about the worker cooperative policy.

Check back for more public forums on the California Worker Cooperative Policy initiative to be held at SELC's Resilient Communities Legal Cafes throughout 2014.

CA Worker Cooperative Feedback Form

Having trouble viewing the feedback form below? Click here.

At our recent Think Outside The Boss Workshop in Berkeley, we asked participants to tell us what co-ops meant to them. Check out the slideshow above to see the diversity of faces and answers we received.

Cooperatives aren't some utopian, hair-brained, hippie scheme. They support an incredibly diverse range of people from all over our communities, from families (did you see the baby above?) to young entrepreneurs to faith-based communities to immigrants.